Archive for the 'Outside Ireland' Category

On our way home from an amazing round the world trip we had about 5 hours to spare in Heathrow airport before flying home to Cork. We came upon this bar on our way to the gate. We decided to have a few drinks here basically to pass a bit of time. I had a few pints of Stella Artois and Jen had a few glasses of white wine. The pints were fine. One thing that struck me was that the wine was on tap, something i haven’t come across too much before. The bar itself is a typical airport spot with seating around the bar and the duty free shop across the way. We both got toasted sandwiches and enjoyed our last few hours of holidays.

The toilets that i found are not for the exclusive use of customers of the bar but are general airport toilets. They appeared to be well maintained as you would expect. Anyone who has flown home from Heathrow to Cork will have come across this bar as it is on the concourse on the way to the gate. It’s somewhere to stop off at.

Toilet rating: 6.5/10
Pint rating: 6/10
Overall rating: 6/10

Final comment: Weatherspoon express is a place i will probably visit again.

Visiting this pub was some experience and something completely different to what we are used to. This bar is located on the 21st floor of the Sir Francis Drake hotel in the heart of Union Square in San Francisco. We took the lift up and paid our entrancer fee which was 10 dollars from what i recall. We were then shown to our seats which had the most amazing view out over this great city. Our waitress then brought the drinks to our table and us being the upper class people that we are, set up a tab! We felt like we had been transported back to the 1970′s with the red velvet seats and the jazz band playing classics from that era. I decided that Jack Daniels and coke was the only way to go and i really enjoyed the few that i had. Both myself and Jen agreed that this place provided one of the most magical moments on our honeymoon. It was very romantic and ultimately different. The crowd inside was definately somewhat older than us they could really dance. We sat in awe at one couple who were in their seventies id say and they were unbelievable dancers.

I ventured to the toilets just the once and they were immaculate. I couldn’t find a fault with them. We both really enjoyed our visit to the this bar and would most certainly highly recommend it to any body visiting San Francisco.

Toilet rating: 9/10
Drinks/Service rating: 9/10
Overall rating: 9/10

Final comment: The Starlight Lounge is a unique experience.

Next stop on our honeymoon was Fiji. We stayed at the wonderful Outrigger on the Lagoon, Nadi. It is Fiji’s first 5 star resort and it was a great place to stay. We were upgraded as we were honeymooners and they brought champagne and canopes to the room every evening. There is a very relaxed night-life in this resort and it is generally quiet in all the bars of the resort bar one which has live music at night. This is the Vakavanua bar next to the Vale Ni Kana restaurant. We were in here on two nights of our holiday. Table service is provided if requested and there is a great selection of beers, spirits, wines and cocktails available to buy. There is no beer on tap available but i was drinking bottles of Fiji Gold which was a very nice beer. The bar itself is quite small but there are comfortable seats available around the bar. The band that were playing were very good and i went up and sang a few songs with them on one night! The bar staff were friendly and efficient in this bar.

The toilets that i used were in very good condition and were very big. They are the toilets used for the restaurant and bar. It was a nice bar to sit in and listen to the band and meet people on holidays from around the world. We met some very nice Australians here.

Toilet rating: 7/10
Drinks rating: 7/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: I would highly recommend anyone to visit the beautiful Fiji and to stay here. It was a brilliant place.

While we were in Cairn’s, Australia we visited this pub twice. The Cock and Bull is a big English pub and casino which serves very big meals at great value. There was a guy on the door who appeared nice as we walked in. There is a few sections in this pub and there is an abundance of seating available. The first night we headed in it was quiet and we sat just across from the bar. I had a pint of Carlton and Jen had a glass. The drinks were served in the glasses with the handles. We used the pool table that was available and a guy came in and challenged me to a game of pool. I played him and won which was great but he was pestering us a bit so we moved to another part of the pub on the advice of one of the bar maids. To be fair all the bar staff we encountered were very friendly. There is a big smoking area available at the front of the pub and that was busy with people.

The second night we headed in there was Karaoke on and i took the opportunity to partake as usual and did well. The pub was packed on that night especially the back bar where the karaoke was taking place. There is a pool table available as well in here. The toilets were not great. There were two i used and they were small and somewhat smelly. I have to say that i really enjoyed visiting this pub and it was very handy as it was just a short walk from our hotel. It was fun.

Toilet rating: 5/10
Pint rating: 7.5/10
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Final comment: The Cock and Bull is a bit outside the centre of town but it is well worth a visit.

Our next stop on the honeymoon was the fantastic Ayres Rock in central Australia. It is a truly amazing place and was a brilliant experience. I would recommend any one to head there and see the sun rise and set over the rock, its magical. We stayed at the Desert gardens hotel in the Ayres Rock resort. It is a basic hotel but very comfortable and clean. The heat was unbearable at times while we were here. The hotel bar is Bunya Bar. It is an open space, more like a lobby with a bar. There is no beer available on draught so we had a few bottles of Carlton beer. Myself and Jen entertained ourselves with the chess and draughts table. There is bar food served and although there is not a great selection, the food is very good. We also ate in the buffet restaurant and that was quite nice.

The toilets are off the bar and they were alright when i checked them. Again they are basic but were in good condition. It was a good experience to stay at the hotel and have a few drinks in the bar.

Toilet rating: 6/10
Drink rating: 6.5/10
Overall rating: 7/10

Final comment: Its nice to be able to review a bar in such a remote part of the world.